


Babies are too small

by Cosmignon



Category: Dice funk
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 17:23:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12173391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmignon/pseuds/Cosmignon
Summary: A glimpse into the day where Drop, Alias, and Eilcena become first-time parents, from Drop's perspective.





	Babies are too small

**Author's Note:**

> It's time for an installment of "Everyone's fine, the au" featuring Drop, Alias, and Eilcena welcoming their new smol son Mardis into the world......... for clarity's sake; Mardis & Eilcena are from S3, Eilcena's just mentioned in Mardis' character sheet, they haven't named the baby (Mardis) yet, and if the way I wrote abt hospital visits is weird don't worry abt it, it's magic.

Drop stared off into space as he leaned on Alias’ shoulder. He was shaking his knee impatiently, as the both of them sat quietly in the clinical waiting room.

It had been just an hour after sunset when Eilcena went into labor, to the alarm of both men living with her who had scrambled to escort her to the nearest clinic in Mithrendain. Now, it was 1am, and they were both too tired to talk, but too worried to rest.

Everything felt far too quiet and empty as they waited. Drop knew he should be feeling some sort of excitement, but dread was in its place. Looking up at Alias he could see he was nervous as well, but he couldn’t help wonder if there was a dissonance between how they felt.

All they could do was wait. So they waited.

An eladrin dressed in a medical robe walked into the room after a total hour and a half, and signaled for the two men’s attentions.

“Mr. Alias and Drop Valamin, correct?”

“Yes, doctor,” Alias hid any nerves he might have had under a calm tone of voice, which helped to soothe Drop’s anxieties. Alias could always keep himself together. “How is Eilcena?”

“She’s asleep at the moment, and perfectly alright. Congratulations on your new baby as well, he’s a healthy boy.”

Drop let out a sigh of relief, then breathed in deeply, realizing he had been holding his breath ever since the doctor entered the room. He felt Alias comfortingly rub his back as he spoke for both of them.

“That’s wonderful, thank you so much. When will be able to see them?”

“Eilcena and the baby will both need time to recover, but later tomor- today, late morning, you should be allowed in. You can either wait here, or we’ll contact you at your house when you can visit.”

Alias held Drop’s hand and asked, “What would you rather do, dear?”

Drop rubbed his eyes drearily, “I’m too tired to think right now, sorry…” 

“That’s alright. Perhaps it would be good for both of us to go back home and sleep. It wouldn’t do Eilcy or the baby any good if we showed up exhausted.”

“You’ve always got the best ideas… I love you…” Drop mumbled. 

“I love you too,” Alias spoke to the doctor again, “You already have our address, correct?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, thank you, we’re going to go home for now. Thank you.”

Drop wrapped his arm around Alias’ waist as they said goodbye to the doctor and made their way home. It was dark outside, with elegant lamps lining the sidewalks to guide them back to their house. They were quiet as they walked.

As soon as they got through the front door, Drop kicked his shoes off and headed for the master bedroom. The bedroom was in disarray due to the baby panic several hours ago, which he paid little attention to as he slumped onto the pillows and began pulling blankets over himself. When Alias entered the room, he laid his glasses on the nightstand and joined Drop in the comfort of their bed.

Drop made a small, contented noise when Alias scooted up behind him to give him a sleepy kiss on the neck. Alias sighed, and wrapped one arm over the blanket cocoon Drop had made.

“Goodnight, I love you…”

“Love you too…”

Drop slept fitfully that night, waking up twice before the morning came. Both times, he had to turn around to check and see that Alias was still there. Remind himself that the doctor said Eilcena was alright. The baby was alright. He tossed and turned until he was comfortable, and eventually fell back asleep.

When he awoke a third time, the sun was shining through the cracks in the curtains, and he looked behind himself to see Alias awake and smiling at him.

“Goodmorning~”

“G’morning,” Drop replied as he struggled to get a hand free from his blanket cocoon, then brushed at Alias’ cheek, “I guess we finally get to see the baby today…”

Alias smiled wider and kissed Drop on the forehead. He jumped off the bed, grabbed his glasses, exclaimed “I’ll make breakfast!” and walked out of the room.

Drop soon followed after him, wearing the clothes he hadn’t bothered to change out of when he had gotten home. He sat at the kitchen table as Alias set breakfast down, the surprisingly chipper eladrin wearing a bathrobe with his initials stitched in the breast pocket.

As they ate, Drop stopped as the feeling of nausea briefly overwhelmed him.

“Drop, are you ok?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, I’m not very hungry right now…”

“Hmm,” Alias furrowed his brow, “I know when you’re nervous, you don’t have to hide it.”

“…I’m just worried about the baby. We can't be there right away if something goes wrong.”

“The doctors should know what to do… but, I know how you feel. I’m worried about them too.”

“But you seem so happy?”

“I can be nervous and happy at the same time, I’m … It's hard to explain. I'm just excited that we’re all starting a family together.”

A family… Drop had little time to dwell on his nerves when a knock at the front door distracted both men. Alias almost leapt from the table to answer the door. Drop tried to ignore the conversation as he picked at the leftover food at his plate.

“Drop, are you ready to head back to see Eilcy?”

He looked up to his husband, who was walking back into the kitchen with that same dopey smile from earlier that morning.

“I uh… yeah, yeah I’m ready. I’ll clean up while you get dressed.” Drop picked up the plates and let Alias kiss him on the cheek as he rounded the counter to reach the sink.

He stewed over his own feelings while he quietly washed the dishes. He knew Alias was happy, Eilcena was probably happy, and he should also feel the same. There was a whole new baby in the world, and it was the three of theirs to look after. But the unknowns kept nagging at his conscious.

_How long would they live? Should he prepare for the worst? How would Alias deal with that? And even if things went well, would he make for a decent father? Would the baby even like him at all?_

A light tap on the shoulder brought Drop back to reality, shoulder to shoulder with Alias.

“I’m all set now, do you need help with the plates?” Drop looked down in the sink and let go of the plates, letting them drift to the bottom as he dried his hands off on his shirt.

“It’s alright, I can dry them off later,” Drop hesitated for a breath before kissing Alias on the cheek. He tried his best to put on a smile, “Let’s go see Eilcena.”

Alias took Drop’s hand, and the two headed out to the clinic. The sun shone in the sky, and the fresh air helped Drop to wake up for the first time that morning. The intensity of the feywild still had the power to overwhelm his senses on bad days, but today the good weather and bright skies seemed to be a good omen.

They passed through the city without incident. Drop let Alias do the talking at the front desk to figure out which room their wife and son were staying in. Alias never let go of Drop’s hand as the two of them set off again, up a flight of stairs and onward until they reached a door among many in a sterile hallway.

“This is it,” Alias looked at Drop. His eyes were so blue. “Let’s be sure to be a little quiet, she’s still recovering.”

“Right…,” Drop took time to choose his next words carefully, “…you first.” Alias nodded and opened the door to Eilcena’s hospital room.

The environment was just as sterile as out in the hallway, but the site of Eilcena sitting up in her bed was enough to offset that. Her eyes lit up when she saw the both of them, and it seemed to be as effortless as ever for her to practically radiate enthusiasm in spite of the labor she had just been through the previous night.

“Ah, there you are! Am I happy to see you guys!” she chirped, holding out her arms to embrace Alias when he stepped close to her bed.

“How did you sleep, Eilcy?”

“Oh you know, about as well as anyone can after a few hours of labor.” Eilcena shifted in her bed to get more comfortable, “It didn’t help though that the new lil guy only got to sleep a couple hours ago now,” she turned her head toward a small cradle close to her bed to emphasize her point. Instead of seeing the baby, Drop suddenly noticed how exhausted she looked, in spite of her usual playfulness.

Alias turned toward the cradle, and peered into it to take his first good look at his newborn son.

“Oh, by Corellon’s grace,” Alias smiled, as dorky as ever, “He’s so… I don’t even know what to say…”

“Isn’t he just precious?”

Drop stood at the end of Eilcena’s bed, reluctant to interrupt the moment. It was nice that they could share it together.  

“Drop,” his eyes were drawn toward Elicena as she called his name, “Don’t you want to see him, too?”

“Oh, I do, I just didn’t want to uh,” Drop’s response petered off as Alias beckoned him with a hand.

“Come see our new son.”

He stepped closser to his wife and husband to look over at the baby.

There, he saw a very small, sleeping eladrin wrapped in a purple blanket. His pointed ears stuck out from a white cap put on top of his head. He seemed so perfectly motionless that Drop had to lean in closer to check he was breathing, but aside from that, he seemed ok for now. What an odd thing, to wait for a baby to come for months and when he’s finally here, he’s so unassuming.

Drop nearly jumped when that odd, peaceful lump called a baby started to move under his wrappings and yawn as he woke up.

He was briefly puzzled, “…He doesn’t have teeth?”

Eilcena laughed, “He doesn’t need them yet, he can drink milk.”

Then, as if on cue, the baby’s face contorted as he began to cry. Drop backed away, holding his hands up so he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

“Aw, he heard you,” Alias carefully cradled the crying newborn in his arms, then handed him to Eilcena as he cooed, “There’s your mom, shh shh, you’re alright.”

Eilcena held the baby in one arm as she lifted up her hospital gown to start breastfeeding. Ok, no teeth made sense. Drop backed up further until he sat himself down in the chair across the room. He was alright with just observing from here, thinking the baby was probably happier near the two who had actually helped make it.

Drop had to admire how quickly the two had taken to this, as if they had been prepared for a long time. Which, Drop realized, they had been. And it was Drop who hadn’t prepared for anything other than a tragedy.

Alias walked over to Drop, and patted his shoulder supportively. Neither of them spoke, but Drop could practically hear what his husband wanted to say. _Everything’s ok._

The two eladrins made small talk as the baby drank, and Drop continued to quietly sit. He looked back and forth between the baby, who had stopped crying, Eilcena’s tired eyes and smiling face, and Alias’ failure to contain his excitement. Drop was missing something, he felt it.

Maybe this was as good as things were going to get. But that didn’t feel right either.

As the baby finished drinking, Drop slowly stood up, “Would it… be ok if I got closer to the baby again?”

“Of course! He’s your kid too, you know?” Drop walked to the end of the bed, at which Eilcena waved for Drop to walk over, “It’s alright for you to get closer, c'mon!”

“Okaay.”

For the second time that day, he got a good look at the baby. He was fully awake now, with the same mirror-like eyes that all eladrins had. He squirmed slightly in his mother’s arms, looking dazed and confused. That was sensible, Drop figured it must be very confusing to suddenly be alive.

Over the course of the previous half hour, he had wriggled his hands free of his swaddling blankets. He waved around his weird, chubby arms as he grasped at the air, as if he was trying to grab something.

“Hh, hey there,” Drop cautiously reached his hand out toward the baby. He couldn’t help but gasp when one of the baby’s tiny hands wrapped around his finger. It was a surprisingly strong grip, for someone so small and fragile.

It finally hit him that this was their son. His son. And he had no adequate words to express the feelings swirling in his head at that moment.

Tears welled up in his eyes, “Babies are too small…”

He let the baby keep holding his finger as he softly wept, prompting Alias to wrap him in a side hug.

“I know, I know. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“I -” sob, “Yeah?”

“Droooop,” Eilcena teased, “you’re gonna make me cry too…”

Feeling braver, Drop reached his hand further to touch his son’s face, with his finger still wrapped in the baby’s tiny hand. He showed no resistance to his human father carefully poking at his squishy cheek. He simply yawned, and looked as confused as before.

“Look, he likes you.” Though Drop thought that was a very lofty assumption for Eilcena to make, he accepted it for the time being. He started to try wiping his tears away when he noticed tear drops land on the baby’s blanket.

The trio soon spoke of friends and family coming to visit the baby soon, about boring things concerning getting the baby’s room at home ready, and how long Eilcena would stay at the clinic, which hopefully would only be a few more days. They kept at it for another half-hour, all the while cooing at their son.

When it was time for Eilcena’s husbands to leave, she made them both lean forward, so she could kiss them.

She told them, “You be sure to visit again tomorrow, it was so boring in here without you two.” 

“And the house wasn’t the same last night without you there, dear.” Alias responded.

Drop interjected, “Well, it won’t be the same when she gets back either. Because the baby’s gonna be with her.”

Eilcena giggled, “…I love you guys so much,” she wiped a stray tear from her eye, then gently held one of the baby’s hands up while she said, “Say bye to your fathers, sweetie!” The baby made a soft sort of squeaky-gasp before he yawned.

“Bye little guy, by Eilcy! I love you both.”

“Yeah, I love you two… too.” Drop wished he could think of more to say, but there wasn’t much else to say. He loved his son, and wife, and husband, and that was about all that mattered right then.

When he and Alias left the clinic, they walked through a lovely afternoon, the weather as nice as before. The city seemed to sparkle as they passed through. Though maybe that was just how Drop imagined things.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Drop sighed contently, “I’m so glad that they were alright.”

“Me too,” Alias sounded far more tired than he had in the morning, or even at the clinic. Maybe the excitement had finally burnt him out, though somehow Drop doubted it was something as simple as that.

Alias continued, “You sounded so stressed this morning, and I’m sorry I couldn’t help like I feel like I should have… but I’m glad you’re feeling better now.”

“Yeah… well, thanks for not letting Eilcy get too worried about that. I didn’t want to screw anything up by being… well. Things went ok, that’s good.”

Drop waited a beat for Alias’ response, and when he got none he turned to see his dopey grin strike once more as he stared directly at him.

Sensing Drop’s anticipation, Alias replied “Sorry, it’s just so nice to see you smiling.”

Drop was suddenly aware of how his face felt. Huh, his cheeks hurt. He had been smiling a lot.

When they got home, they took some time to decompress. The both of them wanted to relax before they had go out once more to tell Eilcena and Alias’ extended families about the good news. Personal visits, letters, the whole ordeal. Just thinking about it made Drop even more exhausted than he had been before he got to sleep last night. 

Alias found the book he was currently working through, and Drop went to his favorite spot in the house to meditate.

Everything's ok. 


End file.
